I, a useless prince, started with the Xiang Yu template.

The scene changes.

Hebei Prefecture, Hebei City.

At this moment, the city was in complete chaos.

The streets were teeming with people, a dense, crowded mass, all rushing frantically toward the city gate.

The man carrying luggage staggered and ran wildly, while the woman holding her crying child was pushed and shoved by the crowd.

Bundles, clothes, and bowls were scattered all over the ground, trampled on by the panicked crowd, and no one paid any attention.

Wealthy merchants, nobles, and gentry families with some assets fled Hebei City overnight with their gold, silver, valuables, family members, and servants as soon as news of the barbarian army's conquest of Yan County arrived, seeking refuge in the more secure counties in the rear.

Those who remain in the city today are either ordinary people who have no time to pack up and are slow to react, or poor people who have nothing and nowhere to go, and can only struggle in their desperate situation.

Even if they managed to squeeze to the city gate, no one dared to step out easily.

In chaotic times, leaving the city means facing certain death.

Outside the city, in the desolate mountains and wilderness, war raged, bandits and outlaws roamed freely, and hungry wolves and wild beasts roamed. Without guards or provisions, they fled with their families, only to become prey for bandits and food for wild beasts before even encountering the barbarian army.

Staying meant certain death, while escaping meant an immediate end. This dilemma was suffocating everyone.

On the street corner, several poorly dressed people huddled together, their faces pale and their voices trembling as they discussed the matter.

"It's over, all over! The barbarian army has conquered the three prefectures of Beiliang, You, and Yan, leaving no one alive in their wake. The next target will definitely be our Hebei City. This city is simply indefensible!"

"What are we ordinary people supposed to do? God, can't you just open your eyes?!"

"Run! If we don't run now, it'll be too late. Once the barbarian army reaches the city walls, we won't be able to escape!"

"Escape? Where can we escape to? Can't you see the city is swarming with soldiers and bandits? Going out means certain death! We have no power, no influence, no horses, no food, where can we escape to!"

"So, am I just going to wait to die in the city? I don't want to die; I have an elderly mother at home..."

The cries grew louder and louder, and fear spread through the city like a plague, making everyone feel insecure.

The atmosphere inside the prefectural governor's mansion was oppressive and tense.

Prefect Zhang Zhen stood in the center of the main hall, his official robes wrinkled.

He paced back and forth in the hall with his hands behind his back, his steps heavy.

How could he not want to escape?

The brutality of the barbarian army was known throughout the land. Three prefectures fell, cities were breached, the people were slaughtered, and all their wealth was looted. Even the officials were not spared.

The Hebei city garrison numbered less than five thousand, and most of them were old, weak, or disabled soldiers. They were no match for the barbarian army, and it was only a matter of time before the city fell.

But he can't run.

His wife, children, and elderly parents had already been secretly sent to the capital by his trusted confidants, which was considered a way to leave them a glimmer of hope.

As the prefect of a prefecture, he had a duty to defend the territory. If he abandoned the city and fled, the imperial court's laws were strict. Once caught, not only would he be executed by slow slicing, but his entire family left in the capital would also be implicated and executed.

Faced with the lives of his entire family on one side and the lives of the city's inhabitants on the other, Zhang Zhen gritted his teeth and had no choice but to defend the city to the death.

He suddenly stopped, clenched his fists, and shouted loudly towards the outside of the hall.

"Guards! Pass on my order: immediately summon all the elders, able-bodied men, and all the garrison troops in the city to assemble at the city walls!"

The messenger received the order and rushed off.

Before long, Zhang Zhen personally climbed the city wall of Hebei City, holding a megaphone, and shouted with all his might to the dense crowd of people below.

Fellow villagers!

I am Zhang Zhen, the Prefect of Hebei!

"The barbarian army is approaching. I, Zhang, as the prefect, will never abandon the city and flee. I will live and die with the city!"

"At this moment, we have nowhere to retreat and nowhere to escape! Our only chance of survival lies in self-preservation and holding the city to the death!"

"The Prefect hereby orders that all able-bodied men in the city shall climb the city walls to assist the garrison in moving stones, pouring boiling oil, reinforcing the city defenses, and repairing the city walls!"

The elderly, women, and children should all return home and not go out to disrupt defenses. The entire city must unite to protect our home!

"The imperial army has set out from the capital, traveling day and night to provide support. As long as we hold the city and hold out until reinforcements arrive, we will be saved! Our families will live!"

"Once the city falls, the barbarian army will be brutal, and massacres will be commonplace. At that time, no one, whether male, female, or young, will survive!"

Rather than sit and wait to die, we should fight to the death! For our families, for ourselves, let's defend Hebei City!

The people, with nowhere to escape, heard the prefect's promise that he would never abandon the city and looked at Zhang Zhen's figure on the city wall. Their previously unfocused eyes gradually lit up with a glimmer of hope for survival.

They had nowhere to go anyway, and since they were going to die anyway, they might as well fight back to the death.

In no time, the people in the city responded enthusiastically.

Young and strong men put aside their concerns, grabbed hoes, machetes, and wooden sticks from their homes, and ran toward the city wall;

The elderly, women, and children voluntarily boiled water, cooked, and carried supplies for the city's defense at home;

The defending soldiers were fully armed and stood in formation on the city wall;

The people joined in, carrying stones, lumber, and pouring boiling oil to reinforce the city's defenses and repair the damaged walls.

Standing atop the city wall, Zhang Zhen watched as the people and the defenders below worked together with one heart and one mind, their eyes welling up with tears and deep emotion.

But beneath this touching sentiment lies an overwhelming sense of sorrow and helplessness.

He knew better than anyone that even if he mobilized all the people in the city to help, they would all be untrained civilians without any decent weapons. Relying on their enthusiasm alone, they would be no match for the fierce attack of the barbarian elites.

Such strict defenses can only hold out for three to five days at most. Once the barbarian army launches a full-scale attack, the city will fall in an instant.

But he could neither back down nor speak out.

Even if there is only a sliver of hope, even if we can only hold on for one more day, we must grit our teeth and persevere.

The longer they can hold out, the longer the people in the city can live, and the longer they can wait for the arrival of the imperial reinforcements.

at the same time.

Dust filled the air on the official road within Hebei Prefecture, obscuring half the sky.

The thunderous sound of galloping hooves suddenly erupted, like thunder rolling across the ground, causing the surrounding vegetation to tremble slightly.

The vanguard of the barbarian army was advancing at full speed, with thousands of warhorses galloping past, their momentum fierce and their killing intent palpable.

The barbarian soldiers on horseback were all burly and fierce-looking, wearing rough leather armor, wielding curved swords, and their faces were full of greedy and violent excitement.

Each horse had bulging bags of gold, silver, jewels, and silk ornaments hanging beside its saddle.

Having conquered three prefectures in succession, burning, killing, and looting with unparalleled success, these barbarian soldiers had become extremely arrogant, their eyes filled with unbridled arrogance.

"Hahaha! The Daqian people are a bunch of cowards. We took over the three prefectures with ease!"

"A bunch of good-for-nothings who only know how to farm, they don't dare to resist at all, they're just two-legged sheep waiting to be slaughtered!"

"I've heard there's still a lot of good stuff in Hebei City. Once we take the city, we'll loot it all—women, money, it'll all be ours!"

"The people of Daqian are really rich! This war was so exhilarating; nobody can stop us!"

Further behind the vanguard, the main force of the barbarian army marched in a vast, overwhelming wave towards Hebei City.

As far as the eye could see, cavalry and infantry stretched for dozens of miles, with banners standing tall and swords and spears gleaming coldly.

The dark, dense crowd stretched as far as the eye could see, their marching momentum like a dark cloud pressing down on the city, carrying a sense of overwhelming oppression.

Commander Yelü Aguda rode a tall horse, clad in exquisite iron armor. His face was rugged, his eyes sinister, and a smug smile always lingered on his lips.

In just over half a month, he led the Northern Barbarian army with unstoppable momentum, successively conquering the three northern prefectures of Daqian, plundering countless treasures, and killing countless Daqian officials and soldiers.

Such a dazzling record was enough to make him the most respected general in the Northern Barbarian Kingdom.

The barbarian generals around him swarmed around him, their faces full of flattery and obsequiousness.

"General, you are wise and mighty! With you leading the troops, the Great Qian army is utterly vulnerable!"

"The Great Qian Dynasty is utterly corrupt, and its army is incredibly weak. Our army marches south, sweeping all before us!"

"In my opinion, not only will we be able to take Hebei City, but the entire Central Plains will soon be ours, belonging to the Northern Barbarian Dynasty. Our rule over the Central Plains is just around the corner!"

"After this battle, the commander-in-chief will surely be renowned throughout the northern barbarians and revered by all!"

Hearing the compliments, Yelü Aguda became increasingly smug. He threw his head back and laughed loudly, his voice rough and bold. He raised his hand, cracked his whip, and shouted fiercely ahead.

"Warriors! Speed ​​up the march and reach Hebei City as quickly as possible to capture it!"

"Once we enter the city, loot, kill, and party to your heart's content!"

All the money and women you steal are yours to keep; I will not interfere!

These words were like a potent medicine, instantly igniting the ferocity of all the barbarian soldiers.

A deafening roar and cheers erupted from the crowd.